Aberystwyth University has been crowned a winner at this year’s Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCA), collecting two coveted awards.
At a glamorous black-tie ceremony hosted by comedian, actor and writer Ellie Taylor, Aberystwyth picked up the Lecturers and Teaching Quality and the Student Life awards as well as being the highest placed Welsh University in the overall ‘University of the Year’ award.
The Whatuni Student Choice Awards are the UK’s leading student-led university awards. Now in their tenth year, they celebrate the UK’s best universities. This year saw 35,000 verified student reviews generated from over 240 higher education institutions across the whole of the UK.
The award for Aberystwyth University is an important vote of confidence from their students and shows that when it comes to lectures, teaching quality and student life, Aberystwyth University is at the top of its game.
Aberystwyth University was also the highest-placing Welsh University in the ‘University of the Year’ category, securing a respectable third-place finish in a tough competition that also saw fellow Welsh institution, Bangor University, secure a place in the top ten.
Welsh universities have also dominated the Lecturers and Teaching Quality categories with five out of the top ten positions held by Higher Education institutions in Wales. Wrexham Glyndwr University came in second after Aberystwyth, with Bangor, Swansea, and the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David all beating off the competition to secure a top-ten ranking.
And when it comes to Student Life, Welsh universities have again performed incredibly well, taking a third of the top ten positions in the category. Joining the overall winner, Aberystwyth University is Cardiff University in third place, and Swansea in sixth.
Cardiff University was also the highest-placed Welsh University in the Students’ Union category, winning the number two slot and coming tantalisingly close to beating defending champions and six-time winner, The University of Sheffield.
Welsh Universities are leading the way in the UK for these two key aspects of higher education.
Simon Emmett, CEO at IDP Connect, said:
“The Whatuni awards celebrate creativity, resilience, and innovation within higher education. Aberystwyth University has shown this in leaps and bounds, securing the esteemed Lecturers and Teaching Quality and Student Life awards at this year’s Whatuni Student Choice Awards.
“With the continuing cost-of-living challenges, we’re proud to focus on all the good Universities do and celebrate their successes.
“Congratulations to the winners, alongside a huge well done to all our shortlisted institutions and the sector as a whole. This year’s scores are significantly higher than previous years, highlighting the good work done across the sector. I hope the awards highlight the quality of education and students’ experiences across our wide and varied sector.
“Each of our winners and finalists has gone above and beyond to positively impact students’ university experiences. These awards showcase the quality of higher education in the UK and its creativity, resilience and innovation.”
Camilla King, Director of Client Partnerships at IDP Connect, added:
“It was fantastic to have Ellie Taylor host this year’s awards ceremony and help us celebrate everything great about our higher education institutions nationwide.
“We know that no one is better placed to judge universities than their students. Therefore, we will continue to ensure that the student voice is always heard when it comes to students making their university choices.
“After a challenging couple of years, it’s important to recognise the universities going above and beyond to support students and give them the best university experiences possible. The institutions recognised have successfully adapted, created and implemented fantastic initiatives to support and engage students, which our awards are thrilled to celebrate.”
